The development of broadband access in Africa has contributed to the growth of new professional opportunities, including gaming, which, if properly supported, has the potential to create new entertainment professionals.

Next January 28-29, Africa's young gaming talents will meet at Sofitel Abidjan's congress center for the grand finale of  Orange Esport Experience, a pan-African gaming championship organized by Orange Côte d'Ivoire. This year marks the fourth edition of the championship with gamers from fourteen countries.

The participating countries are Benin, Cameroon, Congo, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Ghana, Guinea, Madagascar, Mali, Morocco, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Senegal, Central African Republic, and Sierra Leone. During the 2-day final, the champions of those countries will compete in games such as Street Fighter V, FIFA 2023, eFootball 2023 (ex-PES) and play a demo game on League Of Legends.

According to Orange, gaming is now a professional discipline that helps create many jobs, especially in the field of cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and open innovation. This is why it is investing in that championship to identify gaming talents.

For Brelotte Ba, deputy director Orange Africa and Middle East, "Africa offers the ideal setting for this growing discipline.

Since 2016, Orange has been investing in the development of Esports with national and international bouts to bring out young gaming talents from the Middle East and Africa. the Orange Esport Experience was launched in 2018, and since then, it is held yearly in Côte d'Ivoire.

In Europe and the United States, gaming is no longer just entertainment. Some professional gamers earn five-figure salaries monthly. In Africa on the other hand, it is a relatively new field. Nevertheless, with the development of broadband access, it is growing quickly, presenting new opportunities to tech-savvy youth.

Muriel Edjo